Ironside Photography, Artists 3 60, 2023.

// ABOUT RACHEL GRACE
Rachel Grace Borntrager, 34, (she/her/hers) is an abstract expressionist and portrait painter.
Rachel’s work is inspired by emotional and historical complexity in relationships. Her expressionistic work is based on a technique she is developing using line and color to externally map the body’s nervous system and breath. She makes art for her community in Northwest Arkansas and beyond-- including therapists, non-profits, charities, and churches. Rachel received her BA in Studio Art from College of the Ozarks, and has worked professionally for 3 years now. Rachel is wife to Chris, and mommy to exuberant Evalyn, and easy-going Bo Lewis. You can find her exploring the outdoors with her kids, reading fiction, cookbooks, or art history. As a highly sensitive person (to light, sound, smells, etc.) she’s big on keeping a simple home. Rachel also enjoys playing the piano, baking bread, and being a total candle snob. Rachel grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, but has been a resident of Fayetteville, Arkansas for the last 12 years.

// MY WHY
“In a world permeated by fear and anxiety, there is still so much we do not understand about the way the mind and body work together. We have found many haphazard ways of coping, living separated-out lives to make life more live-able. I’m on a journey to find a systematic way, through fine art, to make a safe space for our whole story, especially internal stories our bodies hold. I believe art is a bridge between written-spoken language and the internal language of our body— things we know but often cannot see, but deeply feel. It is my hope to provide my community with viable resources to aid our mental health crisis, and offer a safe space for meaningful art that honors all parts of our stories. My work is especially informed by my faith as a Christ follower, and in the end, I hope my work will point to Christ, who I believe makes us eternally whole.”
-Rachel Grace

// QUIRKS
Likes: sitting on the kitchen counter | fireplaces | crusty bread with olive oil | over thinking | raw canvas | going to the dentist | perfect avocados and mangos | deep conversations | eye contact | any danceable tune | herb gardens | being a weirdo and overall goofball
Dislikes: lima beans | spiders | inconsistent noise patterns | floral scented candles | getting her photo taken

// EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, College of The Ozarks, Missouri.
Studio Art, Emphasis in Graphic Design, Minor in Philosophy and Religion

// AWARDS
Practicing Artist Fellow 2023-2024, Artists 3 60, Mid America Art Alliance

// RESIDENCE
The beautiful, the funky, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.

// CONTACT
artbyrachelgrace@gmail.com